WHEN* GORMLY WAS CHAMPION*. But 'Paddy' had something of the bulldog in him, and, by diDt of hard practice, he mauaged lo accumulatc pace. Still, he never swam gracefully on the breast. The beautiful long stroke and 'swish*' through the water acquired by him with the single overarm style of pro pulsion was entirely missing when attempting the breast stroke. And most modern-day 'swifts' are In the same boat as Gormly as exponents of the breast stroke. I can quite understand swimmers who real thus far saying, 'There's the old humbug again ! No one can do anything as well ai Uaey conld in their day !' Now, let me say that swimmers of the olden lime were not in the same street as you young men of -the crawl. If you took up the breast stroke with the earnestness characterising your work In the crawl and Trudgeon the brwiut stroke would undoubtedly be fxplolted in a more, masterly and skilful manner^than 1'^ui liri i ? ' '?* But until recently little enconragcraant was given a man to enab...

THE BREAST STROKE IN SWIMMING. ? § ? Is it Practically a Lost Art?— Pica | for Longer Distance. (By 'R.D.') | The good old breast stroke, universally adopted by the fathers and gran-leathers of present-day swimmers, Is now rarely seen. One seldom sees a modern youth with any pretensions to bo callcd a speed swimmer using It, But elderly men may still be acen paddling along In the old way. The yonth scorns ihe breast stroke, yet I venture to say that when it Is properly mas tered — when the maximum distance is reached ' with the minimum of exertion, and the* seal- ' like glide is acquired — no stroke is prettier to watch. I trot round to many of our baths. out the few who now use the breast stroke know little of Its art. They move their arms me chanically, and make very slow progress. ' When the 'crawler' has a 'go' on th-* breast he sometimes gets up pace, but makes it very hard work, with the water round abou: him lashed into foam. In fact, he fairly pulls himself through the water...

AUSTRALIAN RUGBY TEAM IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. ? r.i;,\-ri:x by hf.ttku men who played THE ISETTEIl OA.ME.' SAYS A , COLUMBIAN. (By 'W.I..S.'— In tiie 'Aihlctlc News.') I tio not know whether -«r- '? '? 6;an Oxford Unlvcralt y. 1'' a yet ramie, formal Hon lo the Uiieliy Koolbull l; ill on (or permission. In lour In Cnlllorniii ne::l fall a team of im- V and present 'Vrrxlty men. It he ta. ;t tho nriijcit Is still In lilB . mind. I would sen ouiilv ask hlni to consider either an nlternatl proposition or else an .xtenMon 0f'hcnrQI-°3^. itl-crary from Callfcrnlii to call upon . our. f iliren of British Columbia.. . British' ,1- development ot the Rome In Br,u*£. Coh nhla has heen simply remarknMe. nn^ d, J far as 1 .an Rather, the gentlemen i «hn i nave heen responsible for this arc the Messrs. oo ward, two real . cniinwiaav*.. , . ».nt,ffh Mr. K. P. Woodward has been kind to write ini- a letter on the position of- ?? and. as I take It there .will be no objection to us publication, faith'f...

TO CORRESPONDENTS. / *E.J.L. (Redfern) : Warelva. ??Mllo' (Paddlngton). — (1) Rack drew No. 1 , ' position. (2) No. - 1 'Porky'' (Paddlngton). — (1) Machine Gur\. Isolt, Mnnlapoto, Sultana, Suu God, and Night' fall. (2) Yes. G.L. (City) : Alberto won a hurdle race with 10.10 at victoria Park on January 18 ot last % year. Racing at Kensington on Wednesday next. First race, 2' p.m. Lord Carlyon, whoso accldcnt when being landed at Bombay has no doubt been primarily responsible foivbiB failure to reproduce his b«'j»t Australian form In India,, won a race recently at Mudras. The Moorefield Racing Club holds its next mooting on February 35. nominations for which close with the secretary. Mr. J. Lamrotk, at t p.mN on Monday, the 3rd- Inst. The New Zealand-bred Pert, by Martian from Clytlc, will, no doubt, «lo her future racing ai meetings of the Associated Clubs. At Messrs. W. Ingllp and Sons sale of blood stock on Tues day this mare was knocked tjown to Mr. T. Stubley for J2f»gs, In conn...

TOURING NEW ZEALAND , With New South Wafcs Teachers, MK. F. McMl'LLEN TALKS OF NEW ZEALAND CRICKET. CRICKETERS, AND GROUNDS. - . (By 'RAMBLER.'} ? The New South Wales School Teachers' team bud a very good lime ou their cricket tour In New Zealand. Mr. Frank MeMullen, of the Bur', vood District C.C., who captained the tenm, Fpir.ks glowingly of the tour, and of the hospi tality' extended them. ? - ? ? ? ' 'The standard of piny, as we found It, ' sai l he, 'well. It was not very high; They. want more firet-cluBh matches to develop their eric-, keters. Frequent visits of teams from Australia arid trips across to the Commonwenlth would e'onsiderabl.v Improve them— much more so, I l.-lleve, than some of the. New Zenlundcrs them tiivoj, mlsht Imagine. It was my second' visit to New Zealand, and 1 found practically no Im- 1 provement had taken place In their cricket. J 'Mack' Saunders, the old Victorian, was far i the best bowler we met during the tour. At : Wellington they have a fast-med...

SAILING J (By 'TOM CRINGLE.') A day to thoroughly test the stability of all competitors In the baling and yachting events v'ms last Saturday. That none of the local boats fiulshcd In thc Wt Interstate race does not prove that our tvp-» of boat Is not good ; rather were the/ 'nrrylng too much tnu^lln. Who rould gauge the weather and tell us that a 'southerly bus lei' could come hurling along ? Chris. Garland, his dnuntless crew, and their ,\bk- Wcstana will long be remembered by fol lowers of sailing events. They will carry tho admiration and wen wishes of all with them to dny when they depart for the West. In a good, wholesome breeze, Westana can always be de pended upon to give her competitors a good go. I could not help noticing th' way she hopped to windward after passing Taylor Bay on tho Micond round on Saturday. It was a case of the harder it blows, the better she goes. It Is to be regretted that Chris, will not again visit us ns skipper of an 18-footer, It bein* hlf. Intentio...

BOXING WORLD. j» js BY 'SOLAR PLEXUS,' j» THE LIGHT-WEIGHTS. Jack Read bar. cleverly and deservedly at tained one of his ambitions; he has won the title of resident light-weight champion of Aus tralia. Good luck to him, for he in a most worthy boxer man. $ His improvement since ho has been associated with Sam Langford has not been conflncd to the science of boxing; it is In no smnll measure showing in the lmprovemcmt in condition. However conscientiously Read may have trained In the past, it has become clear that he at times lacked that polish in his condition so essential for a strenuous 20 rounds' bout wit t, man approximating himself In skill an' strength. ? ' Thanks to the massaging and other attcn '*-ns to his muscles and wind, and to the build . . up of stamina. Read Is a tougher antagonist lhan aver before, if in future he be able to enter tho ring as 'well equipped In tho matter of condition, throagh.not placing his dependence upon what may be termed amateur training, he wil...

CRICKET AND CRICKETERS SHEFFIELD SHIELD PLAYERS. BY ' GULLIVER.' COLTS AND JUNIOR NOTES. SUPERIORITY OP N.S.W. BATTING. Tho two homo matches for the Sheffield Shield have proved that New South Wales Is still more powerful than any of tho other States — that ia, wo have tho best collection ot players unions tla- States. In point of stylo, brilliancy, versatility, .niac ins, aud timing hardly any comparison between tho New South Wales and Victorian hatting Btars could be inad»\ on the form of tho matcii which terminated on Tue^lay. No Victorian hatted ?with' the flnlsh end mas terly skill of Victor Truinper. Charles Macart ney. and K. I\ Barbour, in whose hatting, with varying degree, wore mingled power and va riety iu strokes with an art in placing quite wanting in the batting of the Victorians, though very lite fn hfs first innings the levia than, 'Warwick Armstrong, got tho ball be tween the fieldsmen with a good deal of sue cess and pace. THE FORM OF TRUMTER. Victor Trumpor has st...

THE MID IN GAMES THE BIG PART IT PLAYS. Sidelights on Recent Tennis Contests between the Champions, (By 'AUSTRAL.') That there is notning newunder the sun are nil awnr«- ; the iowcls ot thouRht of th« anricntw reaet In modern style appeal to us with nn etcrnnl frcshtics*. A healthy mind in a healthy body was th® highest aspiration of the Unmans in tbeii'primo before they entered on th' decadence whicii allowed them to b'-oine mere onlookers. A modern, thonrn Flmple, setting of that-anctent sa rv Jb that 'nil work and no play * makes. Jack a dull boy.' but this expreH-e» the thought in u different way. The idea that my colleague, 'Not Out.' h:i.s expressed so clearly in last Issue ig a truer rendering. To hitn tbo brtsht, fresh, alert mind is apparent hot as a result, but an a partner of the healthy body, and really. 'Not Out' reminds m« of our friend J. C. Parke, the da?hins Jrishaisin, by his extreme modesty. Parke told me |n a »-hori interviow last week that Hrooker, undoubtedly t...

SOME CRICKET JOTTINGS. (By 'RAMBLER.') Petersham-Balmain played two games with New England at Armidale, winning both, uu Saturday they scored 342. G. Whcatley b3, L. Wall 52, keeping up the fame of Balmain. They dismissed -the local men for 79. ^',Jllla® .Vns' worth taking ste lor 24, and B. J. Folkard thre-» j for 31. In the match on Monday tho home eleven scored 119 and the visitors 192 (left-hander J Norton !')? For the second time Western Suburbs have secured the Martin Shield, and arc now on a footing In the matter of wins with Northern Suburbs, who won the trophy iu 1008-0 and 1910-11. The latest final was exciting enough to please the most ardent enthusiasts, Parramatta total led 191, and at one stage, Western Suburbs had lost S wickets for 101. It seemed at this period that Parramatta were fated to secure their maiden victory, but an excellent partnership by Emerson and Evans raised the hopes ot Western Suburbs supporters. Emerson, a tall left-hander— played very dash ing cr...